Exploring the Anti-inflammatory Properties of Cannabis and Their Relevance to Insulin Sensitivity

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, over 30 million people in the US have diabetes, and just over 84 million people have pre-diabetes. Concurrently, 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational use and over the past decade, cannabis use among adults has more than doubled. Public perception and some scientific data suggest that cannabis causes acute over-eating, creating concern that public and legal acceptance of cannabis use will worsen the obesity epidemic in the United States, where more than two-thirds of US adults (68.8%) are currently overweight or obese. Paradoxically, cross sectional data demonstrate associations between chronic cannabis use and lower body mass index (BMI), prevalence of obesity, insulin resistance, waist circumference, and actual rates of type 2 diabetes despite data supporting higher caloric intake acutely. This study examines the effects of cannabinoid levels in blood on inflammation and insulin sensitivity both acutely and chronically in individuals across the weight spectrum. To that end, the study employs two observational designs: 1) A study of acute effects with intermittent cannabis users and 2) A study in which current cannabis users will select one of three cannabis strains for four weeks and are compared to a matched control group who do not use cannabis to study chronic effects.